Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru.

I ask the boss about the new job.

Breakdown of Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru.

• saya: I
• baru: new
• tanya: to ask
• tentang: about
• bos: the boss
• kerja: the job

Questions & Answers about Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru.

What does tanya mean, and how is it different from bertanya?

tanya is the simple root verb meaning “to ask.” It’s common in everyday conversations and can take a direct object right after it.
bertanya is the formal or more “complete” verb form (with the prefix ber-), often used in written or polite speech.
Example:

• Informal: Saya tanya dia soalan.
• Formal: Saya bertanya kepadanya satu soalan.

Why is there no preposition like kepada after tanya? Why can I say tanya bos?

In Malay, certain verbs—including tanya—can directly take a person or thing as their object without an extra preposition.

• Saya tanya bos is perfectly natural.
  If you want to be extra formal or highlight the relationship, you can use bertanya kepada:
• Saya bertanya kepada bos tentang kerja baru.

What role does tentang play in this sentence, and when should I use it?

tentang means “about” or “regarding.” You use tentang to introduce the topic or subject you’re asking about.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object (person) + tentang + Topic
Example:

• Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru.

Why is baru placed after kerja? In English, adjectives usually come before nouns.

Malay adjective order is reversed compared to English. Adjectives typically follow the noun they modify.

• English: “new job”
• Malay: kerja baru (“job new”)

I notice there’s no word for “the” or “a” before kerja baru. Why doesn’t Malay use articles?

Malay does not have indefinite or definite articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.” You simply state the noun (plus any adjective) without an article. Context or additional words (e.g., ini for “this”) provide specificity if needed.

How can I tell if Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru is past, present, or future tense?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Instead, you add time markers:

• Past: sudah, telah, or add a time word (e.g., semalam “yesterday”).
  Example: Saya sudah tanya bos tentang kerja baru semalam.
• Present: no marker or use sedang for progressive.
  Example: Saya sedang tanya bos tentang kerja baru sekarang.
• Future: akan or nanti.
  Example: Saya akan tanya bos tentang kerja baru nanti.

Can I use pekerjaan instead of kerja? When should I choose one over the other?

Both kerja and pekerjaan mean “work” or “job,” but:

• kerja is the base word, very common and informal.
• pekerjaan is a nominal form (with pe-…-an), more formal or used in writing.
  You can say:
• Informal: Saya tanya bos tentang kerja baru.
• Formal: Saya bertanya kepada majikan tentang *pekerjaan baru.*

Is bos the only word for “boss”? When would I use majikan or ketua?

• bos is borrowed from English and widely used in casual speech.
• majikan strictly means “employer” (the person who hires you). It’s more formal.
• ketua means “leader” or “head” (e.g., team leader, department head).
  Choose based on context and formality:
• Saya tanya bos… (casual)
• Saya bertanya kepada majikan… (formal employer)
• Saya bertanya kepada ketua jabatan… (department head)